Marie

Marie is a twelve-year-old black girl who lives in Chauncey, Ohio, with her father who is a college professor. Her mother, Diane, had suffered from depression and had not been happy at home and abandoned her family when Marie was just ten-years old. Both Marie and her father are devastated by Diane's departure and struggle to adjust to their new reality. Marie sees how distraught her father is and learns to cry in the dark in her room at night when he can't hear her.

Marie is best friends with the popular and stylish, Sherry, another black girl in her class. They both were voted best-dressed in their class. Marie is annoyed when her teacher, Ms. Cory, assigns her to get a new girl in class acquainted with the school. The new girl is Lena, a white girl who epitomizes the phrase that the black kids throw around...